This cruise ship can carry almost 10000 people Find out

This cruise ship can carry almost 10,000 people. Find out more about what sets Icon of the Seas apart here

CNN –

There's nothing subtle about the world's largest cruise ship.

Royal Caribbean's new, nearly 1,200-foot-long, 250,800-gross-ton Icon of the Seas rises like a multi-layered birthday cake with frosting on top in the form of seven swimming pools, a whimsical striped carousel, tropical green forests and winding waterslides green, pink, blue and orange.

As the $2 billion ship entered the port of Miami on Jan. 10 with music blaring after crossing the Atlantic from the shipyard in Turku, Finland, where it was built, it was met with a cacophony of fireboat salutes and a flying of the banner flag. The riot brought traffic to a standstill along the causeway into Miami Beach, which runs parallel to the cruise ship canal.

Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi, as the Icon of the Seas' “godfather,” was even present at the start of the ship's fanfare when he christened the 20-deck ship on January 23rd.

The ship is officially the largest cruise ship in the world, followed by Royal Caribbean's new addition in early 2022, Wonder of the Seas, which is just behind at 1,188 feet long and 235,600 gross tons.

And when Icon of the Seas embarks on its maiden voyage from Miami on January 27 for a sold-out, seven-day Eastern Caribbean cruise, passengers can expect some next-generation sea experiences.

The list of superlatives and innovations on the Icon of the Seas is long

Finding the time to fit everything aboard Icon of the Seas promises to keep passengers busy. Speaking of passengers, the ship can carry a whopping 7,600 guests and 2,350 crew members at full capacity – roughly the entire population of Sedona, Arizona.

The behemoth's attractions include Category 6 – the ship's 17,000 square meter water park, currently the largest at sea and spread across decks 16 and 17, with six slides including Frightening Bolt (the tallest drop slide at sea at 46 feet). 14 meters) and the first family raft slides at sea (Hurricane Hunter and Storm Surge).

The ship features the first cantilevered infinity pool at sea, as well as the largest swimming pool at sea (the 40,000-gallon Royal Bay) and the largest ice arena at sea (Absolute Zero, where guests can ice skate or watch a performance).

Around 50 musicians and comedians entertain passengers with ensembles that include the largest orchestra at sea (16 members) and the first performance of The Wizard of Oz at sea with flying monkeys. There's even a resident golden retriever, Rover, called the Chief Dog Officer, who is still a puppy and appears on his own schedule along with a dedicated handler.

The excitement is real – and so is the backlash

Long before it arrived in Miami, images of the Icon of the Seas on social media sparked an online buzz among eager vacationers as well as highly polarized opinions about the over-the-top ship, particularly the potential environmental impact of such a large ship.

A Royal Caribbean spokesman said the Icon of the Seas is 24% more energy efficient than required for ships designed today. The company plans to introduce a net-zero ship by 2035.

The ship is Royal Caribbean's first ship to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). Not everyone is impressed with this choice.

“Royal Caribbean’s decision to use LNG is their biggest climate mistake,” said Bryan Comer, director of the marine program at the International Council on Clean Transportation.

Royal Caribbean International

The new ship has a total of 20 decks, 18 of which are for guests.

“LNG is largely composed of methane, a greenhouse gas that traps more than 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide in the first 20 years after its emission. The Icon of the Seas uses engines that release methane into the atmosphere in the form of “methane slip.”

The organization says LNG can only “significantly contribute to achieving climate goals” if methane slip and other factors are greatly reduced or eliminated, which the council says still remains a major challenge.

The ship's parabolic bow – a first for Royal Caribbean – is designed to help a ship move through the water more easily and helps reduce fuel consumption and emissions, Comer said, adding that it will also help the company's bottom line cruise line would benefit.

The ship produces more than 93% of its fresh water through reverse osmosis. And Icon of the Seas also features the brand's first microwave-assisted pyrolysis waste-to-energy (MAP) system, which converts onboard waste into gas that the ship can use as energy.

There is undeniably great interest in the huge ship among cruise lovers.

Colleen McDaniel, editor-in-chief of Cruise Critic, told CNN Travel that Icon of the Seas in 2024 is the most researched topic on the cruise site to date.

For cruise ship enthusiasts, McDaniels says the biggest excitement about Icon of the Seas is the fact that it is the first ship in an entirely new class of ships for Royal Caribbean, which last launched a new class of ships, the Quantum class, in 2014.

“Considering everything that has changed in the cruise and travel space over the last decade, there are so many new concepts and options to look forward to on board,” said McDaniels, describing the Icon of the Seas as “ absolutely groundbreaking for the industry.”

Next in Royal Caribbean's Icon class is Star of the Seas, which is being built in Finland and is scheduled to launch in August 2025 for Caribbean cruises from Port Canaveral, Florida, near Orlando. with similar amenities to the Icon of the Seas.

“The unprecedented demand for Icon of the Seas led Royal Caribbean to open bookings for Star of the Seas – Icon’s sister ship – three months earlier than originally planned,” a company spokesperson said.

The eight distinct “neighborhoods” aboard Icon of the Seas are designed to appeal to the cruise ship’s multigenerational demographic as well as passengers with diverse interests, including families with young children and adult-only travelers.

Offerings range from Royal Caribbean's first swim-up bar at sea, Swim & Tonic, in the ship's Chill Island neighborhood, to The Lemon Post in a new, family-oriented neighborhood called Surfside, where guests can mommy-and-me – and mommy-and-me dishes, daddy-and-me cocktails and mocktails can be ordered just steps from a children's splash area.

While Royal Caribbean was already known for its onboard quarters that guests can move between, McDaniels said Icon of the Seas refined the concept on that ship.

“Without a doubt, this ship was created to compete directly with land-based resorts, particularly those geared toward families,” she said.

The new ship's most anticipated offering for families may be Surfside on Deck 7. Aimed at families with children up to 6 years old, it revolves around a Seussian-themed carousel, where the kids made the ultimate call to the slide characters (a rainbow tooth), a narwhal and a pool floatie-style flamingo, among other whimsical ones creatures).

Michael Verdure/Royal Caribbean International

Surfside Eatery offers a new buffet for families.

The Carousel is steps away from several family-friendly dining options, including a buffet, snack window and the new specialty restaurant Pier 7, which offers all-day brunch and where kids under 12 eat free. And two water playgrounds for young children are also nearby and right next to the Water's Edge pool, where parents can supposedly keep an eye on their kids while relaxing overlooking the ocean.

For those aged 18 and over, there is another new neighborhood on board, The Hideaway, which is inspired by international beach club scenes and features a multi-level terrace with uninterrupted sea views and the first floating infinity pool on the sea, cantilevered 41 meters above sea level is ocean.

“The ship's amenities will particularly impress people who have never cruised before,” said Rob Clabbers, founder and president of Q Cruise + Travel, a Virtuoso agency in Chicago.

“For Icon of the Seas, the customers who are most excited are families with younger children,” Clabbers said, pointing to features such as the water park, pools and a surf simulator.

The ship is also drawing interest from customers who aren't necessarily traveling with children, he said, particularly in the suite quarter, an area that feels like a ship within a ship and is reserved only for suite guests. Royal Caribbean's largest suite district to date spans four decks and features its own private sundeck, pool and hot tub, and two exclusive restaurants.

“The entertainment, amenities, dining, quality of shows and variety of activities – and even the design of the indoor and outdoor spaces – are simply stunning for those accustomed to staying at most land-based resorts Clabbers said. “That doesn’t even include the things you can do on land.”

More than 40 restaurants, bars and lounges onboard include 21 new options on Icon of the Seas, including paid extras like a sushi window at Izumi, specialty restaurant Empire Supper Club (featuring Wagyu ribeye and butter-poached langoustine) . (an eight-course meal that costs $200 per person) and a champagne window at Bubbles in the Central Park section of the ship.

The 28 different types of accommodations onboard range from 1,600-square-foot Indoor Plus Staterooms, which start at $3,600 per week for two people, to the three-story Ultimate Family Townhouse with its own wraparound deck, movie theater, outdoor hot tub, and spiral slides to sail between decks averages $100,000 per week and sleeps eight people.

A miracle of technology and great ambitions

Impressive engineering feats can be seen throughout Icon of the Seas.

The 82-foot-tall steel and glass AquaDome crowns part of the top of the ship and houses a theater where high divers perform, a 55-foot-tall water curtain, a bar and Royal Caribbean's first dining room.

Michael Verdure/Royal Caribbean International

Located in the 82-foot-tall steel and glass AquaDome that crowns part of the top of the ship, the Overlook Lounge features raised seating platforms.

The spherical pearl on the ship's World Promenade soars across three decks and runs through colorful vignettes that attract selfie photographers while providing structural support amidships and opening the area to sweeping ocean views.

At a recent press briefing aboard the ship, Michael Bayley, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, told the media that the ship “checks all the boxes” of what the company had hoped to create.

“It’s big, it’s bold, it’s perfect for the Caribbean, it’s perfect for our market,” Bayley said.

“The ship’s offerings are in response to the demand the brand is hearing from cruisers who are both new to cruising and already loyal to Royal Caribbean,” said Jay Schneider, Royal Caribbean’s chief product innovation officer.

“We researched and tested concepts and heard the same thing,” he said, citing a desire to create memories, try “novelties” together, connect and have endless options that include “a mix of thrill and relaxation.” , as commonalities that resonated with us in research sessions.

“Nowhere in our office is there anything that says, 'Let's build the largest ship in the world,'” Schneider told CNN Travel. (The original plans called for a ship that would be about 50,000 gross tons lighter).

Royal Caribbean International is clearly positioning Icon of the Seas in a market that goes beyond cruising.

We didn’t create Icon to compete with other cruise lines,” he said. “We designed it to rival any other family vacation you might want to take anywhere else in the world – from skiing to Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon.”

Terry Ward is a Florida-based travel writer and freelance journalist in Tampa whose kids are always looking for a cruise so they can disappear into the kids' club for days.